Run Rabbit Run
by Artemis Nightray
Summary: It's easy to leave. What's difficult is leaving alive. Ryou accidentally becomes involved in a dangerous world of criminals. Deathshipping AU.
1. Captured

Captured

'_Conclusive evidence has been found that the fire that burned down a suspected meth lab was an act of arson. The building set alight in the early hours of Saturday morning was "an attack against the local gang in charge" says Domino Police. _

_Investigation is still under way to find the perpetrators responsible for the 'crystal meth lab' as well as the arson…'_

Ryou looked up from the front page of the newspaper and eyed his brother across the table with both worry and suspicion as he ate his breakfast. He wouldn't put it past him to commit arson, no matter how much he would like to believe he wouldn't stoop that low.

"Bakura," he asked "you didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

"Huh?" Bakura replied vaguely as Ryou passed him the paper. He scanned the page briefly then handed it back "Of course not."

"Hmm,"

"Look Ryou I'm not an idiot," he rose from the table, his spoon clattering into his cereal bowl "I'd never do something as stupid as launching an attack against a gang."

"I was just asking." Ryou said innocently. He calmly opened up the paper and continued reading as Bakura huffed in indignation at being dismissed so quickly.

"Whatever," He snarled "I'm off."

"What, already?" Ryou challenged nonchalantly.

"I'm not going to fucking school you moron." Quickly taking his opportunity to storm off, leaving the flat with a slam of the door. Ryou winced as the flat shook then sighed and hoped he was telling the truth for once but he was much more likely to blow up like that if he was hiding something.

There wasn't much Ryou could do about it. In a way he was glad he didn't know the full extent of Bakura's escapades. Not only did it cover him if the police came sniffing around but also he didn't want to have to worry himself with the amount of danger Bakura would put himself in just to keep them floating above water. All he wished was that they could find a way to live without Bakura turning to a life of crime. He laughed softly at the thought of Bakura sitting behind a desk doing paperwork but it was an empty laugh. His brother lived for the thrill of the chase and there was no way he'd give it up for no good reason.

Clearing up the table Ryou glanced at the clock. He had just enough time to get ready and walk to school but he'd have to rush. He whipped round the flat to make sure all the windows were closed and then quickly grabbed his coat and locked the door.

Setting off at a brisk pace he headed towards the school, the late November air containing the first signs of the bitterness of winter. Walking was his only form of transport since they couldn't even scrap the money for driving lessons, let alone a car and the cost of the insurance that would come with it. He had to walk alone because all his friends lived on the other, much _nicer_, side of town, just one of the many perks of having living parents.

There was something about this neighbourhood that made Ryou feel uneasy. The shadows looked like they contained evil secrets and each person he passed seemed ready to attack him if he stepped out of place.

Yet one of the unsaid benefits of having a twin with a reputation for merciless violence was that Ryou could walk around without having to worry too much about the shady figures in the alleyways.

Except today there was one particular hooded man he was certain was following him. He caught a glimpse as he turned a corner and a few minutes later it was the same person he saw when he quickly looked over his shoulder. They weren't making any attempt to hide their intentions as they kept the same distance behind him.

Heart pounding, fists clenched, he sped up when he got to the road the school was on. When he turned to walk through the gate he looked back but the hoodie was gone.

He felt a stitch forming as the adrenaline circulated his body. Trying not to dwell on possible reasons he would have someone following him he made his way towards his tutor room.

Téa was always good at telling him he was being paranoid and sure enough she was sat with Yugi, Joey and Tristan as he entered the room.

"Good morning." Ryou said as he approached them.

"Hey Ryou," Joey reciprocated the greeting "come over here and tell Tristan the Xbox is better than them stupid PlayStations."

Joey had moved over to England from America when he was little but he had still managed to keep a thick Brooklyn accent. The truth was he had worked hard on keeping it because he wanted to keep a part of America with him. An average kid would get bullied for such a quirk but not Joey Wheeler.

"Uh, well" Ryou mumbled "I don't really know…"

"I bet you like the Wii or something." Tristan goaded. The obvious truth was that a tight budget had prevented them from having anything as frivolous as video game consoles.

"I think they are both as good as each other." Yugi chipped in.

"Yug you always give the diplomatic answer." Joey said.

The conversation descended back into an argument of gaming consoles with Yugi trying to act as mediator.

"Hey, you alright?" Téa asked Ryou as he finally took his seat between her and Tristan at the table they were gathered around.

"Uh, yeah." He muttered deliberately unconvincingly, still shaken from his earlier stalker.

"Is something bothering you?" she pressed. Her concern was something Ryou could always rely on.

"Yes." He confided "On my way here I was sure someone was following me."

"Are you sure it wasn't someone else heading for school?" Yugi asked. The group had stopped their discussion and were all looking at Ryou expectantly.

"Well, uh, they disappeared when I walked onto the road for school."

"Well ain't that strange." Joey stated as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"There are plenty of people who walk around Ryou." Téa assured him "It doesn't mean they were following you, it might have just been a coincidence."

"You haven't been getting yourself into trouble have you Ryou?" Tristan joked as he ruffled Ryou's hair.

"No." Ryou replied defiantly as he patted down his fluffy mane of white hair.

"Then you've got nothing to worry about kid." Joey decided conclusively.

"Kid?" Ryou challenged "Who's the eighteen-year-old here?"

"Yeah but what's good about being eighteen if you don't drink?" Joey retorted.

"I'd say you're missing a trick there." Tristan agreed, as always siding with Joey.

"Guys don't pick on Ryou." Téa interjected before they could say anything else against him "It's his choice if he drinks or not."

"He is a girly tea drinker but whatever that's his choice." Joey dismissed "So's being a coward and not driving."

"Just drop it Joey." Yugi hissed. Téa and Yugi's worry more than made up for the other's insensitivities.

"It's alright Yugi I can fight my own battles." Ryou told him. He lived with Bakura so Joey was no problem.

"Eh I'm only teasing Ryou." Joey apologised in his roundabout sort of way.

"That's fine," he said with a shrug. This conversation was just what Ryou needed to take his mind off the earlier occurrence.

It wasn't until lunch that it was bought up again. Téa and Ryou had double English Literature and they were walking to the canteen when Téa pressed the issue.

"What did the person who was following you look like?"

"Oh, um," Ryou stammered "they were wearing a hoodie so I didn't really see their face…"

"They were a guy though?" she insisted as they walked through the double doors into the canteen.

"I guess so?" he shrugged as they scanned the room for their friends. Yugi was sat down on their usual table and Joey and Tristan were in the queue to buy their lunch.

"You got your usual packed lunch?" Ryou checked trying to change the subject.

"You bet." She grinned as they made their way to the table.

"Hey guys!" Yugi greeted brightly as ever. They sat down with him yet Téa still wouldn't let the matter drop.

"Do you think they could be from a gang?" she pressed. Everyone was aware of the gangs from the news reports. To many it was little more than a story but to Ryou it was more than real and it was a reality he preferred to not consider for too long.

"I don't know," Ryou answered despairingly "he was the only one following me."

"What are you two talking about?" Yugi interrupted.

"That guy who followed me earlier." Ryou explained "Téa won't let it go."

"I'm just concerned." She said trying to justify her actions "I'll stop asking if you want."

"I'd like to try and forget about it is all."

"Well okay then." She mumbled "So Yugi how was your weekend?"

The school day finally drew to a close and Ryou waved goodbye to his friends as they headed off in the opposite direction to him. Digging his hands into his coat pocket Ryou considered all the chores he had left to do and his coursework which needed to be in by the end of the week. The sun was hidden behind heavy grey clouds and the air was thick with impending rain.

He got home just as the first drops fell from the sky. Slowly at first, then all at once the heavens opened.

"Ah, fudge." It dawned on him as he walked up the stairs to the flat that he had been planning on going food shopping after he got home. Entering the flat he cursed himself for putting it off and now there wasn't enough food for that evening or the morning. He was stuck between going in the rain or waiting and hoping it would ease off before it was too dark.

"I'm going to have to go sooner rather than later." The words echoed back at him. Swapping his jacket for a raincoat he looked out the window as the rain turned to hail and clattered noisily against the glass. "But I've got time for a quick cup of tea first."

Shadows licked at his heels as he made his way to the supermarket. The rain had finally stopped but the dark of night was rearing its ugly head in its place. Taking a left down a street Ryou saw a figure leaning against the wall of a block of flats just a few feet away. Ryou stopped for a second before moving forward undeterred.

"Did you think you could walk around like you were innocent?" the stranger asked. They pushed themself of the wall and stepped directly in front of him, only their green eyes stood out in the gloom.

"I-I don't know what you mean." Ryou stuttered, slowly backing up as the man lifted their jacket to reveal the hilt of a knife. A car with darkened windows drove up and stopped beside them.

"Get in the car." They ordered "And don't scream or shout for help, don't make me use this."

Ryou looked around but no one was in the darkened alley. It was foolish of him to walk down a lane with no street lamps and it was even more so that he hadn't turned around as soon as he saw this suspicious character.

"Get in." he repeated as he opened the door. Ryou knew that if he didn't do as this man said he would surely get stabbed. Unwillingly he clambered into the car and as he sat down a blindfold was secured over his eyes and his hands were tied together behind his back. A couple of car door slams later and the vehicle started moving. He had no idea what these people wanted from him.

"He's a lot prettier than the description made him out to be." The voice of the one who'd confronted him snickered from the front of the car.

"Don't get any ideas." A far deeper voice replied "And remember just because he's blindfolded doesn't mean he can't hear you."

"What do you guys want with me?" Ryou asked desperately. A laugh was his answer.

"You can drop the act. We all know what you did." the deeper one said "And if you keep talking I'm going to have Duke here fit you with a gag."

"You idiot, what'd you tell him my name for?" Duke hissed. There was no response as the car jerked over a bump "And be careful with the car!"

The other snorted in reply and Ryou fell to his side as they turned a sharp corner.

"We're here." He grunted "I'll let you take him to the Boss."

"Thanks a bunch." Duke sneered. He got out and opened the back door of the car. He grabbed Ryou by his hair and yanked him out of the vehicle.

"It's time for you to meet your maker." He said as he steered Ryou by the shoulder into an elevator.

"If you took the blindfold off I'd be able to walk without you pushing me." Ryou said as the doors closed and Ryou could feel the lift head down. This merely earned him a hard shove which made him hit his head against the lift door.

"If I let you see where you were now it would have made it pointless to blindfold you the rest of the journey, I've got to follow through with these things." Duke pointed out flippantly. The lift stopped and the doors opened.

"But what do you even want me for?" Ryou pressed "I haven't done anything."

"We'll see what the boss has to say about that." He said as he directed Ryou through another door. Ryou had been able to see light and shadow through the blindfold but this room he'd entered was much darker and the air was thick with damp and cold.

"Wait here." Duke ordered as he shoved Ryou into a seat. The dull thud of shoes against the floor followed by the sound of the door behind him closing indicated Duke's departure, leaving Ryou on his own. If there was any time to try to escape it would have to be now but even if he was able to untie his wrists and get the blindfold off he had no way of knowing the way out or even where he would find himself if he got out of the building. Yet that wasn't even worth considering when his fear had him paralysed in his seat.

The creak of a door in the direction he was facing signalled the inevitable entrance of the man he was abducted to see.

"Well, well, well. Did you seriously think you could get away with it?"

The voice made Ryou jump and the chair tilted backwards and fell to the ground. He could feel water from the damp floor soaking into his hair.

"Hah! Did I scare you?"

Ryou felt himself being lifted off the ground and the water working its way down his back. A hand grabbed his face and forced him to turn his head sharply to the side.

"Hello Bakura." A knife was inserted between his head and the blindfold. "You've got some explaining to do."

* * *

A/N: Here is my Deathshipping story! I hope this serves to give some sort of taste of what's to come.


	2. Mistaken Identity

Mistaken Identity

The knife swiftly cut though the blindfold and Ryou was face to face with his captor. Crazed lilac eyes bore into him waiting for him to say something.

"I'm not Bakura!" Ryou squeaked, his fear heightened by the eyes piercing him.

"Now don't try playing games with me." He snarled harshly. "My sources tell me otherwise."

He leaned closer, an evil grin spreading across his face as he revelled at the terror in his victim's eyes. He pulled back and stood menacingly. "So, why did you do it?"

Ryou blinked in confusion at the collision of questions and accusations. It was meant to be Bakura sitting here being interrogated.

"Do _what?_" Ryou insisted with growing exasperation, still in the dark about everything. What on Earth Bakura had done was beyond Ryou's knowledge, but, that article from that morning, could this have been the gang whose place had been burned?

"You know what!" He shrieked. He lashed out and punched Ryou in in the face. Ryou felt the blood begin to drip from his nose and onto his clothes.

Bakura, he must've been the arsonist. No he wouldn't have. Would he? Had he meant for Ryou to end up being the one captured instead of him?

"I didn't do anything!" Ryou cried, tears streaming from his eyes and mixing with the blood to form a disgustingly sticky mess.

His kidnapper raised his fist to strike again but he froze. Ryou braced himself ready for the attack, shoulders shaking as he sobbed. When no strike came he cautiously lifted his head to see his captor's face flicker.

"I'll make you a deal." He declared boldly "Prove to me your loyalty and I'll believe you.

"What?" Ryou sputtered. He could taste the foul tang of blood in his mouth.

"You belong to me now." He gestured to himself "And if it wasn't already clear: I am the boss so you'll have to follow my orders precisely or face the consequences."

"What consequences?" He asked despite being fully aware of what it could entail.

"Let me put it this way: You can leave anytime you want," He made his way behind Ryou and carefully whispered next to his ear "but I can't promise you'll stay alive if you do."

Ryou felt a cold shiver of fear at the words. There was no way Bakura would let him do anything like this if he found out but he was pretty damn sure it was his fault he was in this mess. He wasn't sure whether it would be more dangerous to follow this criminal's directions or to try and escape. But where could go without being found? They already knew where he lived and the school he went to.

"What do I have to do?" There wasn't really much of a choice. Agree, and he'd be putting himself in possible danger, disagree and he'd be in definite danger.

"I need you to deliver some packages for me, something fairly simple to start you off." He moved back round to stand in front of him. "Someone will find you tomorrow and give them to you."

"How will I know who it is?"

"I'll make things easier and send one of the guys I ordered to escort you here." He shrugged at the detail.

"Duke?" Ryou guessed. He had felt compelled to ask.

"What? How do you know that name?" He snapped, and then added to himself "He wasn't meant to be there..."

"Uh," He obviously didn't know but felt he ought to come up with an answer with his new boss's face glaring at him.

"What am I doing, you shouldn't know." He stomped to the door behind Ryou. He was about to leave but then turned and said "I'd tell you stay here but you have no choice."

He chuckled to himself at his own little joke as he left Ryou on his own again.

"If Duke thinks he can undermine me he has another thing coming." He muttered as he made his way down the corridor, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white "Namely my fist in his face."

This new underling they found may not be the culprit Mariku had been searching for but he could certainly make it work to his advantage. If necessary he couldn't even use him as bait. A sly grin grew on his face as he entered the room where he knew Duke would be.

As expected he found him and Odion lounging around waiting for further orders. Their heads snapped to the doorway as he entered.

"How'd it go?" Duke asked. His voice shook slightly because he hadn't expected Mariku to come searching for them this soon and he knew he would figure out he had disobeyed his orders. He shouldn't have stayed here at the very least.

"Good news, we have a new member." He said, and then to Odion "I need you to drop him off where you found him, best to blindfold him again too."

"Yes Master." He bowed his head slightly. He glanced over at Duke as he left as they both knew he was in for it now. Mariku waited for the door to click shut before turning his attention to Duke.

"So Ryuji," he purposefully used his past name to spite him "decided you didn't want to follow my orders?"

"Well I"- Duke began still trying to think of a way out.

"Didn't fancy going downtown?" He sat down opposite him, this time waiting for an answer.

"I thought I'd be better use here. I didn't mean any disrespect." This earned him a chuckle, a spine chilling laugh.

"No disrespect?" Mariku asked not moving from his seat. His fist was itching to teach Duke a lesson in 'respect'.

"No sir." Duke managed to say. It'd seemed like a good idea in his head. He had been the one to find the right informers to identify the culprit so it was only right he had been there to make sure it all went to plan. He knew now though that it had been some form of test. Everything was always a test with the boss.

"I'll need you to pass on some packages to our newbie tomorrow, give him the basic loyalty test." The quick change in subject bought some relief to Duke "I trust you can carry out this simple task?"

"Yes." Duke agreed quickly standing up to leave "You can trust me sir."

Mariku's eyes widened in anger at his last comment and he stood up as well.

"I don't trust anyone." He spat in disgust.

Odion quickly located their newest member and saw the cut blindfold on the floor. Master Mariku always was one for dramatics. He thrived on the fear of others.

"Who's there?" Ryou asked, he turned his head but could only make out the outline of someone against the light of the hallway.

There was no reply as Odion fixed a new blindfold onto him. He expected some struggle but Ryou cooperated in the hopes that it would mean he'd be leaving soon. He knew there was no escape from this hole, no, this _ditch_ he'd managed to fall in but the most important thing at that moment was that he got home alive. Then he could seek a better solution to his mounting problems.

Odion wordlessly grabbed Ryou by the arm and forced him to a standing position then directed him to through a series of corridors to the lift.

The journey back on the car was just as disorientating as on the way there for Ryou. He hoped he'd recognised where he was when he got out.

The car jerked to a halt and Ryou was pulled out of the car.

"I'm going to untie your hands but you are not to take off your blindfold until you hear the car leaving." It was the deeper voiced abductor from earlier "I trust you're not stupid enough to try any funny business."

Ryou felt the fabric wound around his wrists loosen and then disappear. He heard the car engine rumble and slowly fade away and he figured he was safe enough to take the blindfold off. Though safe definitely didn't describe how he felt at that moment back to the dark alley he had been taken from. Rubbing his sore wrists a bitter wind tore through him. He wrapped his coat tightly around himself and darted down the street to a road lit by street lamps.

Hanging around in the streets late at night would feel dangerous to anyone in a normal situation but Ryou knew what real danger was like now. He almost felt giddy simply being out of reach of that crazed man even if for just a little while. How did someone fall that low though? He'd noticed that flinch when he'd seen Ryou crying. He was going to romanticize what happened but he was helpless to search for the good in even the most broken of people. He had Bakura for a brother and he knew that despite his harsh exterior and unlawful line of work it was thanks to him that he had money for food and a roof over his head. Much good that was for him now he'd fallen in the hands of a gang who'd kill him if he tried to leave.

He returned to the flat empty handed and after hanging up his coat he wearily walked into the kitchen where Bakura was fixing himself a snack. According to the clock above the sink it was nearly one o'clock in the morning, practically early for Bakura to be home.

Bakura duly noted his brother's late appearance. First glance he assumed he'd woken up for some reason but Ryou was still dressed in the same clothes as earlier and his shirt had blood stains on it.

"What happened?" Bakura asked drearily.

"What?" Ryou was still disorientated then looked down at his clothes once Bakura had gestured towards them "Oh this, heh, I fell down on my way to the shops, must've knocked myself out cold."

"Was anything stolen?" Bakura was quick to ask. This explanation didn't quite fit with the time he had got back and if some sorry fool hadn't taken pity on Ryou someone else would've nicked his wallet. Bakura was no stranger to lying and could tell Ryou was but he knew he wouldn't without good cause. It's not like Bakura could care enough if Ryou didn't want to tell him.

"No..." He carefully patted his pocket and somewhat surprisingly his wallet _was_ still there. He would've thought it would have been taken from him, seemed the 'boss' had other concerns. "Hey, Bakura?"

"Yeah?" his attention had averted to the sandwich he was making.

"You'd never frame me, would you?" Ryou stood in the doorway clutching his body tightly. Bakura's brows furrowed at the question, how Ryou was questioning his loyalty. He didn't answer out of indignation and Ryou sighed irritably at this lack of an answer. "You know Bakura, one day your crimes will catch up with you and you'll have to be the one to face the consequences."

Ryou turned to head off to his bedroom. He's probably just cranky because it's past his bedtime. Bakura chuckled at this thought and gave no heed to the possible implications of the conversation that had taken place. He ate his sandwich in peace then left the house again.

Ryou lay in bed listening to Bakura moving, and eventually leaving, the house. Had there even been a twinge of guilt on his face? No, there hadn't been but that didn't help him figure out if he had been framed or not. If he was happy about passing the blame on to Ryou then he wouldn't have spotted anything but also if he hadn't actually meant for Ryou to get caught up in this he would have had a similarly non-guilty reaction. Ryou clutched his forehead at this vicious circle rattling around inside his head. No sooner had a headache started did his stomach start to twist and crumple in a collision of fear and worry.

This concoction of physical and mental pain was not helping him get to sleep. And he had school tomorrow-

He rolled over and groaned in infuriation rubbing groggily at his eyes. His eyelids grew heavy from staying up so late and his body screamed from exhaustion. He eventually fell into a restless slumber.

* * *

A/N: So yeah, this story's going updated monthly-ish. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter!


	3. Delivery

Delivery

Sunlight slowly filtered into the room and the warmth and light on Ryou's face stirred him from his rest. He slowly lifted his eyelids and rubbed away at the sleepy that had formed in his eyes. He caught a glimpse of something red out of the corner of his eye and saw that he'd neglected to clean up or get changed from his soiled clothes and groaned at the mess he'd made of his duvet. More work was just what he needed before school. He rolled over towards his bedside table to check the time and just his luck: he only had twenty minutes to get ready.

"Oh bloody hell…" he cursed as he rolled out of bed. He quickly stripped his bed before heading off to the shower. Surely no one would notice if he was a couple of minutes late?

There was no sign of Bakura as he rushed around the flat. He almost shouted goodbye but resisted just in case the reason he wasn't around was because he was sleeping. An abruptly woken Bakura was an extremely grumpy Bakura.

Ryou ran to school and stopped outside the gates to catch his breath. The gates were still open but it was evident that the bell had already rung as he entered the school grounds. Checking his watch he thanked his lucky stars that no one was much of a stickler for lateness among sixth-formers. He still entered his tutor room somewhat embarrassed and Téa gave him a look of confusion as he sat with them.

"Sorry I'm late." The tutor nodded his head with understanding.

"Don't worry I'll just mark you as present." He said as Ryou went to sit with his friends.

"Morning." He mumbled, mentally preparing himself for Téa's questioning.

"Hey Ryou, is something up?" She asked with her ever present concern.

"Yeah fine." He quickly dismissed "How're you?"

"Oh, I'm fine." She replied.

"Did you have trouble getting out of bed this morning?" Joey teased. It didn't help Ryou's cause that it was at that moment he let out a loud yawn.

"I just didn't sleep very well." He said.

_Someone will find you _

The crucial question was: _When?_

He knew it was today but would it be on the way home? Ryou had been putting off thinking about it too much during the day. It wouldn't do him any good to worry about how he was going to get out of this dangerous situation or even if escaping with his life was possible.

If he tried to flee the 'Boss' would kill him, if he told the police he'd kill him, if he got caught up in some gang conflict he could die.

Every outcome seemed to end in death, if not death then imprisonment which would be the end of life as he knew it all the same.

He felt strangely calm as he made his way through the streets to his flat. The promise of death didn't leave much room to dwell on other worries.

It was with an almost content smile that Duke found him. He wasn't exactly hard to miss with his long white hair.

"Oi, kid." Duke called out as Ryou passed him by blissfully unaware of who he was. It was only when Ryou heard his voice that he recognized Duke.

"Duke?" Ryou asked. He now had a face to this mysterious character. Bright green eyes glared at him from under a hood and stray locks of black hair framing his face. It was then that he noticed the large bruise over his eye "What happened to you?"

Ryou found himself reaching out despite himself. Duke grabbed his outstretched arm by the wrist, squeezing tightly as he scowled at him. It was this twerp's fault for letting slip that he had been involved in his abduction.

"Don't touch me." He growled as he let go. He shoved a plastic Tesco bag into Ryou which made him stumble backwards. "The instructions are in the bag, but before that you might want to get changed into something less… conspicuous."

Ryou looked down at his clothes. He wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary…

"What do you"-

He looked up and found himself talking to thin air.

Ryou figured he ought to take Duke's advice and somewhat dress the part. He rummaged through Bakura's drawers and somehow managed to find a halfway decent black hoodie, wriggling it on over his head he walked into the hallway where he'd left the bag he'd received.

He delicately searched inside for some instructions and sure enough there was an envelope with the word 'newbie' scrawled on it in capital letters. Inside were typed up orders to go to three different places: two deliveries and one package to pick up.

Was he really prepared to carry out these orders? Once he did this it further limited his chances of escape. From here on out there was no turning back. He steadied his resolve and read the first set of instructions.

The first address was only a couple of streets away and the orders were to check the recipient's ID before handing anything over. However there was a slight problem as it didn't give any details of who the package was meant to be for.

It was only a few minutes before Ryou found himself walking up the steps to someone's front door, he rang the doorbell and tried to keep his breathing regular as his stomach churned with anxiety.

"This better not be some stupid salesman." The voice of an elderly woman grumbled from behind the door. "Who is it?"

The door had swung open to reveal an old lady scowling at Ryou. She clutched a shawl that was wrapped around her shoulders and her white hair was pulled back into a tight bun which made her scowl more prominent.

"I've got a delivery for you miss." Ryou said with an attempt at a smile in the face of such irritation.

"Oh wonderful!" her visage dramatically changed as she attempted to pry the parcel away from him, her fingernails scratching over Ryou's skin.

"Uh, I'm sorry but," the dreadful scowl returned at his resistance and her nails began to dig in. "I need to see some identification first."

"Give me the package!" she shrieked with a strong tug. Ryou couldn't hold on against her surprisingly strong grip and before he could say another word the parcel had been removed from him and the door had been slammed in his face. He rubbed his hand and a set of red marks had been indented on his hand.

He considered knocking on the door and making sure he carried out the instructions to the letter as forcibly ordered but his resolve wasn't that strong.

Walking away from the house he read over the next set of instructions. The next address was a couple of miles away in the even scarier part of town. Clouds had formed a cover in the sky and the temperature was quickly dropping. Ryou pulled up his hoodie, making sure to tuck his hair inside, and started searching for the nearest bus stop. The sooner he finished this up the better.

The instructions led him to a rundown block of council flats. Graffiti covered almost all the surrounding walls and Ryou had to carefully navigate around discarded cans and beer bottles to the staircase running up the edge of the building.

After climbing up several floors Ryou found himself knocking on a door with even more apprehension than he'd ever felt before. A dog barked from inside followed by someone shouting.

"What?" A pair of glaring eyes appeared in a crack in the door still locked by a door chain.

"Are you Tetsu?" Ryou asked politely in fear of the intimidating figure. The door closed and Ryou could hear the chain being drawn across before the man reappeared. A Doberman was just behind him and was bearing its teeth at the intruder. "Delivery for you, sir."

"Yeah I'm Tetsu but I didn't order nothing kid." He said "What do you want?"

"This is for you." Ryou insisted handing over the parcel before stepping back as the dog started growling.

"This better be something good." He grumbled before closing the door.

Ryou allowed himself to heave a sigh of relief as he made his way back down the stairs, only one more to go. The bag he clutched in his hand was currently empty and after consulting the instructions he confirmed that he'd be picking something up at the next place before dropping it off at some bar.

It was only a ten minute walk to some slightly less dilapidated flats. Thankfully he didn't have to climb up any steps and he quickly located where he had to go. From outside the front door a radio could be heard accompanied by some slightly out of key yet very enthusiastic singing. Ryou had to knock on the door several times with increasing force before the radio was turned off and the person who had been singing called out.

"Who's there?"

"I've come for a package for the boss." Ryou replied through the letterbox.

"The boss?" the voice repeated incredulously "Is that what he's calling himself now?"

Ryou checked his watched and patiently waited for this mysterious guy to finally open the door. Something clattered inside followed by swearing. Eventually footsteps started heading towards the door.

"It's only his lunch." The person mumbled. Ryou doubted that considering it was almost evening, though he supposed it was highly likely they were only joking. "Here it is."

The door opened to reveal a tanned young man in a flowery apron. There was a strong resemblance to the 'boss' with the tanned skin and white-blond hair. Though admittedly it hadn't been able to get a good look at the boss due to the dark circumstances in which they'd come face to face but the piercing purple eyes were unmistakable.

"Thanks." Ryou said as he took the package. The guy standing before him looked shocked as he saw who was before him and for an unknown reason was staring unbelievably at Ryou's hair. While he'd been waiting he'd taken off the hood because it was making him feel uncomfortable.

It suddenly clicked for Malik what was going on. This doppelganger before him was obviously Bakura's twin he'd mentioned in passing. A knowing smile graced his features and he blatantly checked Ryou out.

"You're too cute to be working for him y'know." Malik told him. Ryou could feel his cheeks heating up under this guy's gaze. "How'd you get caught up in this?"

"They thought I was someone else" He admitted "and now I don't have a choice."

Malik made a noise of agreement as he nodded.

"Well I better get going then." Ryou said as he started walking away.

Malik stood in the doorway leaning against the doorframe for a while as he watched Ryou go. He had a sneaking suspicion it was Bakura's fault this had happened to his poor innocent twin brother. He'd be having serious words with him later. That adorable blush had only served to confirm that he was way too cute to be working for Mariku. No one should have to work for him.

The last thing Ryou had to do was to drop this parcel off. It was another bus ride and another unwelcoming door. Set in a back street alley, the only signs of a bar were the dulled sounds of conversation. Ryou walked in cautiously. Several groups were set around tables and a barman looked up with an apathetic gaze as Ryou entered. Before he could worry about being in the wrong place the dark figure of Duke stepped out in front of him.

"I'll be taking that." He said as he took the bag out of Ryou's unresisting fingers. He checked inside and pulled out the envelope. "You'll still be needing this, just make sure you get rid of it when you're done."

Ryou took back the letter and shoved it in the front pocket of the hoodie. Duke smirked at the slightly unnerved look on his face as he hurried out of the bar.

"Run rabbit run as fast as you can." Duke said as the door closed "Don't look back."

He grinned at the almost poetic words before making his way back to his table. The boss would be done with that rabbit soon and when he was he'd be waiting.


End file.
